November 14, 2025 | 10:09 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Chinese government on Thursday, November 13, 2025, demanded that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi retract her recent remarks on Taiwan, which Beijing deemed provocative and unacceptable.
Takaichi sparked a diplomatic dispute with Beijing after saying in parliament last week that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could pose a “threat to Japan’s survival” and potentially trigger a military response from Tokyo.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian criticized the comments as interference in China’s internal affairs and a serious blow to bilateral relations.
“Should Japan dare to intervene militarily in the Taiwan Strait situation, it will constitute an act of aggression, and China will strike back decisively,” Lin said at a press conference in Beijing, warning that Japan would bear all consequences if the remarks were not retracted.
Beijing’s Warning
China Daily reported that Beijing strongly opposed Takaichi’s statement, saying it violated the One-China Principle and interfered in China’s internal affairs.
Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council spokesperson Chen Binhua reinforced the position, noting that the world recognizes only one China, with Taiwan as part of its territory.
"The world has only one China and Taiwan is part of China."
Chen also referenced Japan’s colonial rule over Taiwan, stating that during its fifty-year occupation, Japan committed many crimes against the Chinese people.
"Japan has committed crimes in history against the Chinese people on the Taiwan question," Chen stated, noting that during its colonial rule over Taiwan for half a century, Japan committed innumerable crimes.
The spokesperson recalled that 80 years ago, China defeated the Japanese aggressors and reclaimed Taiwan, ending Japan’s occupation and exploitation of the island.
"Today, 80 years later, should anyone attempt to challenge China's core interests and obstruct China's reunification, the Chinese government, Chinese people and Chinese military will never accept it and never tolerate it," Chen warned.
Rising Tensions in Tokyo
The controversy has also sparked reactions in Japan. Several senior politicians called for the expulsion of Chinese Consul General in Osaka, Xue Jian, after he shared a news article about Takaichi’s remarks on social media with a comment: “The infiltrating dirty head must be chopped off.”
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi described the comment as regrettable. Speaking at a press conference in Canada during the G7 meeting, he stressed that Tokyo will continue to urge Beijing to take appropriate measures to prevent the tensions from affecting the overall bilateral relationship.
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